What does Mystery Pier Books have to do with film?

[Matilda]

Three degrees of separation - Mystery Pier Books is owned and run by a former actor, Harvey Jason, and his son,
Louis. Harvey Jason is married to former British actress Pamela Franklin, a very promising actress of the 1960s.

I was watching a rerun of "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" the other night, and was once again struck by the power of
Pamela Franklin's performance as Sandy - she held her own even with Maggie Smith, and that's no mean feat. I had
first seen her in "The Innocents" in which she was alternatively beguiling and chilling, then later on television
in "Our Mother's House", a rather creepy but very good British film. But after "Brodie", I couldn't recall that I'd
ever seen this fine actress ever again, so I started digging. The IMDb forum for her revealed that others were also
interested, and somebody posted her story.

Apparently, she'd been forced into acting by her parents, made the move to Hollywood (who, I suspect, didn't quite
know what to do with her, which often happens to the British); did a lot of television and some B films, then
retired from the screen to be a wife and mother.

It appears she has no regrets, and given the quality of shows Hollywood came up with for her, it was a wise decision
to turn her back. But she was very talented, and in Brodie had a sort of intellectual sex appeal as well, and I
can't help but think what a loss it is. Perhaps if her parents hadn't pushed so hard, she might have developed a
natural love of acting and continued on, as I can't help feeling she should have.

Here's a link to the bookshop for those who are interested (according to the IMDb poster, Pamela's voice is on the
answering machine):

http://www.mysterypierbooks.com/

[CBHagman]

1. She was excellent in TPOMJB.

Wonderful performance. Was she nominated for an Academy Award, I wonder?

In any event, I think the last thing I saw her in was an episode of Fantasy Island. During the '70s any number of distinguished actors did guest turns on both The Love Boat and Fantasy Island, but as I recall the episode in question was a real waste of her talent and of her co-stars'.

Every now and then I stumble on the story of a performer who has made a new life for him/herself, and a reasonably well-adjusted one, after fame. Bobby Sherman, Lisa Gerritson (a child actress of the '70s) and Meg Tilly come immediately to mind.